Tell How Predators Got Your Chickens. Save Somebody Else From The Bad Experience

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Bruce have you considered having two pens? I would think ten square feet per bird might be sustainable. Rotate pens when one starts getting ratty, reseed and rest the ratty one. There are movable electric fencing but not something I'd do at this point.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I am not sure if you are talking about your coops or runs? If the coop they sleep in has a roof and is secure, can the coons reach the latch? They are good at climbing. If you have a hole in your fence you should fix it so the chickens don't get out! Coons scare me too...have you seen their teeth? They are closely related to bears....a favorite entrée is chicken.

 

[galanie]

Well it finally happened to me. Dogs got two of my chickens. The good news is that it was two of the ones I was planning to get rid of. They were not in the fenced in area of my back yard. They got out and a pair of underfed large puppies down the street that are allowed to run free got them. Right next to the gate to the enclosed area and on my property they got them. The dogs were not just "having fun" they were eating the birds. They were hungry.

So I have 2 dead birds and neglected dogs two houses away. Great.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Sorry to hear that! When i loose one to a natural predator it doesn't bother me too much, usually they are older or not agile or strong, at the end of productivity, maybe even a 'good death' as native Americans might say....but to loose one to a domestic animal smarts a bit.

 

[galanie]

Sorry to hear that! When i loose one to a natural predator it doesn't bother me too much, usually they are older or not agile or strong, at the end of productivity, maybe even a 'good death' as native Americans might say....but to loose one to a domestic animal smarts a bit.

Thanks. You're right. To loose one to a wild animal is kind of a shrug but to lose them to someone's dogs, argh. The surviving cockerel of the three is going to be Dinner some day but still... How useless and cruel.

Since I'm in the city limits, and we have leash laws, plus these two harass passersby in the street, I called the police. The fellow that came was absolutely untouched by the deaths and the law being broken and would not do a thing, nor even fill out a report. His attitude angered me so much I ended up screaming at him. Not the right thing to do but I figured since he wasn't going to help in any way anyhow, or even do his job, screw him.

 

[bruceha2000]

OH NO!! I have a hole in the chicken wire at the bottom that my foot can fit through... is that a problem?and i have locks that you Can push up while carrying a waterer and on two of my coops that don't have any roofs . one does. BUT i have seen foxes and raccoon's in the daytime..but they don't have any proof of trying to get into my coops. the raccoon scared me.

well the fox did too.does anyone think that i should put new locks on my doors? i guess that they might try to dig... but my dad just finished one of them ...so i cant do much about that one.

PLEASE HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!

I would say YES! If your foot can go through so can weasels, foxes, racoons and anything else that is strong enough to enlarge the hole by squeezing through.

Coops with no roofs? Do you mean outside runs? If there is no roof, I wouldn't worry about the push up latch too much. You could put a bank safe door on it and the coons would just climb over.

I found an inexpensive 4" slide barrel bolt latch with a hole in the end which is open only when the latch is closed at the co-op. Put something in the hole and the bolt can't be slid back. Since I'm not concerning myself with human predators, I'm using a carabiner. I can NOT for my life, find anything similar with a Google search and I don't remember the brand.

All you need is something that will keep the latch from being opened and that something must require dexterity that a predator won't have. Chicken predators may be strong, wily and persistent but they do NOT have opposable thumbs.

Lots of latches fit that description. If you can't do it with your current latch, you want to add something that will. But you don't need to lose the flexibility of opening the door while carrying water. Leave those latches on for "I'm here and working around the coop" times and use the "lockable" one the rest of the time.

Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

Thanks. You're right. To loose one to a wild animal is kind of a shrug but to lose them to someone's dogs, argh. The surviving cockerel of the three is going to be Dinner some day but still... How useless and cruel.
Since I'm in the city limits, and we have leash laws, plus these two harass passersby in the street, I called the police. The fellow that came was absolutely untouched by the deaths and the law being broken and would not do a thing, nor even fill out a report. His attitude angered me so much I ended up screaming at him. Not the right thing to do but I figured since he wasn't going to help in any way anyhow, or even do his job, screw him.

The "fellow" was a police officer? If so, report him.

Another thing you can do, if the dogs are starving and/or otherwise being mistreated, is call the Humane Society. They frequently work with police to remove animals from unsafe homes.

Bruce

 

[cuisinista]

Well it happened again. We did a bunch of work on the coop and for 2 weeks it looked like we were home free. 2 days ago I came in to find a dead mostly eaten guinea and my momma silkie and 4 of "her" babies, 3 guineas and a chick also dead. I think this varmint - probably a skunk or weasel - knows there is food in there and it continues to search and prod until it find some way in. So I, once agin spent the day shoring up the coop but I think we are going to look into electric. Any suggestions on placement?

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Photos would help...also, did you find out where/how they got in? I found a tiny inch hole in my coop where two walls came together, underneath a support, I found it with the help of a beagle after spotting some rat poop near the feeder. It also had claw marks where something had been working at enlarging it.....and just a laundry tip...ammonia as a pre treatment will remove chicken poop stains from the knees on your jeans!Phot

 

[Mimiko]

Well, our babies are almost 17 weeks and we lost our first chicken, a buff orpington female, to a predator last night. She and one of the roosters whom we call "THE EGG" hunkered down under the house instead of going to the coop last nite, and we couldn't coax them out. This morning, the rooster was freaking out and the hen was a headless rumple of lifeless feathers. I am thinking it was an opossum since we have an over-abundance here....we have even had them come in the cat door to help themselves to a bowl of cat food...........poor little baby. R.I.P little lady.